


everything has changed

by PhantomPierceOkamoto



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Coffee, F/F, Fluff, Journalism, LGBTQ Character, ML Secret Santa, and lgbtq author, and way too much smiling jesus, i hope this isn't ooc, so every character is lgbtq to me lmao, too much dialogue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 03:30:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17236556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhantomPierceOkamoto/pseuds/PhantomPierceOkamoto
Summary: alya bumps into chloe at university in the united states, which was surprising in of itself, but chloe is definitely not the same girl she knew in middle school.for paris-mystere on tumblr. title from the song by ed sheeran and taylor swift.





	everything has changed

Alya tried to tuck her phone into her backpack while opening the door to the lecture hall with little luck. She hurried to find a seat close-ish to the front, but not so close that the professor would be in her face.

Before sitting down, she properly put her phone away and pulled out her tablet. She glanced around and took in all the faces around her. These were the other students in her Intro to Journalism lecture, the class she had been dying to take before even being admitted to university. Scheduling conflicts with last year’s writing seminars got in her way, but no longer. She was taking the first step to her dream career and nothing would get in her way.

Except…maybe… _Chloe Bourgeois?_

About two minutes before the lecture was scheduled to start, Alya watched that old middle school queen bee walk in. Alya’s jaw dropped. How had she not known that Chloe Bourgeois was at her university? They were in the States, for crying out loud! Most of her classmates from middle school and high school were still in _Paris_ , let alone international.

Chloe was tapping quickly on her phone, and when she looked up, she caught Alya’s stare. Alya hastily looked down, embarrassed at undoubtedly being caught, but was unable to stop herself from looking back up.

Chloe was still looking at her, seemingly coming out of her own shock. She walked towards Alya slowly, as if approaching a sleeping bear cub. “Is..anyone sitting here?” Chloe asked, stilted.

“Ah, yes.” Alya responded hastily, gesturing to the seat next to her. “I mean, no. You can sit.” She paused. “Uh, it’s been a while.”

Chloe nodded. “How is everything?”

“Uh, good! And with you?”

“The usual,” came Chloe’s vague response. An awkward silence followed, Alya unsure how to react.

The professor walked in, and Alya breathed a slight sigh of relief that she wouldn’t have to desperately search for some topic to talk about. To her dismay, the professor gesticulated, frazzled. “I seem to have left my USB key somewhere. Please, continue to talk, I need to go find it.” Then she rushed out.

Alya blinked. She spared a glance to her right, where Chloe rested her head on her hand.

“So…” Alya began, even more awkwardly. “What made you interested in Journalism?”

“To be honest, I am interested in Public Policy. But I could use the credits,” Chloe responded. “And you haven’t changed your passion, I see.”

“You remembered,” Alya noted, with a small smile.

“It would be hard to forget. No offense, but I feel like a significant amount of your middle school personality was being a reporter,” Chloe smirked as she slipped into French.

“That’s…unfortunately, fair.” Alya continued in French. She sighed, a little surprised at how unoffended she felt. In fact, this may have been the most polite conversation they had ever shared. “To be honest, I didn’t know you were at this school.”

“I didn’t know you were here, either. Or that anyone had left France.” Chloe tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and Alya noted that she wasn’t wearing it in a ponytail. It was shorter than she remembered. “What is everyone else doing?”

“Oh! Nino and I did break up, but we’re honestly closer than ever. He’s still doing his music thing. Marinette is studying fashion, and Adrien is still deciding.” Alya rambled. “Actually, Marinette and Adrien are—“ She cut herself off.

“Together?” Chloe guessed. Alya winced. “Don’t do that. I’m not jealous or anything. My feelings for Adrien were definitely not as real as I may have thought back then.” She chuckled without humor. “But I love him as a friend, so I’m happy for him. I guess.”

Alya nodded, looking away. Chloe was definitely more mature, which was throwing her off. But she also seemed…sadder? As if she was stilted and resigned. “I mean…sorry if I’m overstepping, but you don’t seem okay.”

“I broke up with my girlfriend not too long ago,” she responded, bluntly. “So I’m just moody.”

Alya’s eyes softened. “Oh man, I’m so sorry to hear that Chloe.”

“Ugh,” Chloe replied, her nose scrunched up. “Don’t be. It was probably for the best.”

This time, the professor returned with the flash drive in hand. Alya was completely focused on everything she said, not wanting to miss even a word.

When the lecture ended, Alya tucked her stuff back into her bag, looking over at Chloe, who was definitely not paying attention. Her eyes were glazed over, as if she was in a completely different world.

“Ah, before everyone leaves!” the professor suddenly shouted. “I’m so sorry about my absentmindedness today. You should find a partner to pair up with as I am assigning a project—which you can find on the syllabus.”

Alya glanced around, noticing that everyone had already begun to pair off. Chloe was still checked out.

Alya fixed her glasses, remembering middle school. People change, yes, and Chloe definitely had, but she remembered all the times the blonde had pushed off all her work onto Sabrina. Always partnering with Sabrina, always saying she was above helping out. 

But despite all her wariness, Alya tapped Chloe’s shoulder. “Would you like to work with me on the project?” she asked, her brain warring with itself on whether this was a good idea or not. She didn’t even know how long the assignment was.

Chloe blinked, disoriented. “Ah, sure.” she agreed, raising her eyebrows. “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear what it was about.”

“The professor didn’t say,” Alya replied, switching to English. “It’s on the syllabus.”

“I can pull it up, then,” Chloe said, opening the document on her computer. “Ah, okay. It’s a current events project.”

“Sounds simple enough. Do you have a class now?”

“I don’t. Coffee and planning?”

Alya nodded with a smile. “Good idea.” Good instinct: it seemed Chloe would help this time! Despite her slight sadness, Alya was really liking the new Chloe. (Well, it helped that the girl had always been pretty. What bi girl wasn’t a sucker for a pretty face?) 

They walked to the small coffee shop just off-campus together, making small talk. Chloe was considerably reserved, and all of Alya’s instincts were making her prod slightly, to make the other girl open up a little.

They put their bags down on a free table before ordering some coffee. Alya liked plainer coffees, so Chloe’s monstrously sugar drink seemed to give her secondhand diabetes.

“There’s no way that’s good for you,” she told her, grimacing.

Chloe stuck her tongue out, the most in character action Alya had seen so far. “I’m here for a good time, not a long time,” she said in English, making the barista chuckle.

“Are you paying together or separately?” the barista asked.

“Together,” Chloe cut in, handing her card over.

Alya blinked. “What? I can pay for my coffee,” she noted, tilting her head.

“It’s on me. You can get the next one,” Chloe said absentmindedly, staring at painting on the side. Alya’s eyes widened, and she distantly heard a quiet laugh from the barista.

“What?” she managed.

Chloe seemed to realize what she had said, her cheeks reddening. “Not that I’m, you know, _expecting_ you to pay for my coffee ever. I was just—you don’t—it’s a saying?” she stammered.

Alya felt her own cheeks warming slightly, a shy smile pulling at her lips. “I can definitely pay next time,” she responded, cutting off the slight rambling. “If anything, we can come again to work on the project?”

“The project. Yes.” Chloe agreed, hastily. She shot an awkward smile at Alya before hurrying to the other end of the counter. Alya shot a glare at the barista, who was clutching their stomach and shaking with silent laughter. They grinned in response, and Alya blushed for real, before joining Chloe.

“Here are your coffees,” the other barista handed them the two paper cups. “And ignore them. They live for this stuff.”

“Thank you,” Alya responded. “And I don’t understand?”

“Don’t worry about it,” the barista grinned, straightening her apron. “Y’all have a project to work on, right?”

Alya and Chloe nodded before sitting down at the table. “That was weird,” Alya said.

“Weird,” Chloe agreed. “So, about this—I am best with political events. Is that okay?”

“For sure,” Alya replied, nodding.

For the next hour and a half, they discussed the topics that fit the project outline, with light debates on which perspectives to focus on. They pulled the outline from the syllabus and wrote up what they would have to research. Alya wasn’t sure she’d ever been so productive and on top of her work before.

Chloe smiled as she closed her laptop, gently, and the happiness seemed to reach her eyes this time. Alya felt a flutter of…something. She wasn’t sure what, but it was definitely something.

Maybe that’s why her mouth moved before her brain. “So next time we do this, maybe it doesn’t have to be for class,” Alya commented. She bit her lip and looked away. _Alya Césaire, qu’est-ce que tu fais?!_

“Are you asking me out on a date?” Chloe asked, with a hint of teasing but also curiosity.

“Maybe?” Alya replied, hesitantly.

“It’s a date then,” Chloe confirmed, looking at her hands with that gentle smile still playing across her lips.

“Cool,” Alya murmured, excitement dancing down her skin. Alya wasn’t sure _what the hell had happened today_ , but wow was she looking forward to where this was going to go.

Chloe had definitely changed, and Alya was ready to learn her through and through.

**Author's Note:**

> I really hope y'all enjoyed! This was my first time writing Chlolya so I hope it wasn't ooc? It was definitely a learning curve ahahaha ^^
> 
> ~Phantom


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